To Help a Friend
by Imaginationqueen87
Summary: In a freak accident Kat ends up with an injury to her spine... it will heal, but can she get back on her feet in time to walk into the commander's birthday party, and are two teams of rangers any better than one? r
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own PR nor am I making any profit!

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**To Help a Friend**

A felina woman ran through the landing of a third floor stairwell, fear ran through as her pursuer got her against the railing. She could see down the spiraling staircase to the ground, three floors below her.

Kat Manx felt her heart pounding as her back hit the banister, there was no where else to run, except down the stairs and that ran the risk of falling down them.

'Oh gosh, what do I do now?' Kat asked herself in terror, this guy wanted nothing less than to see her dead, and he just might succeed.

Meanwhile, Commander Cruger and the rangers were oblivious to the danger Kat was in… she had gone to pick up a few parts for their computer system because they were unable to deliver them and they expected her to be back in just twenty or thirty minutes... after forty minutes, Commander Cruger started to worry because Kat had yet to return to her post.

"Commander Cruger…" Z said

"Yes, Cadet Delgado" he replied

"Sir, has there been any word from Kat?"

"No, but I will let you all know as soon as I hear from her"

"Thank you sir"

"No problem Cadet…"

Z started to leave, but Commander Cruger stopped her cold.

"Elizabeth, I'm sure your father would be proud of you" he said warmly

"M-my father… what do you know about him, sir?" she asked

"Danny Delgado was a great man, he was always putting others before himself, and you have the same way about yourself" he sighed "it's a shame that, in the end, that might have been what cost him his life"

Z didn't understand what she was hearing

"Sir, you truly believe that he would be proud of me"

"He would be as proud of you as I am… I watched you change from a girl who had been stealing to survive but longing for more, to a woman who has the power to live that dream and maybe one day teach others what you have learned" he paused "I am proud of my rangers, but none more than you and Jack, you both came from humble beginnings to show great talent, and, in your work, gratitude beyond what I had ever expected from you… yes Danny Delgado would be pleased to call you his daughter."

"You have no idea how good it makes me feel to think my dad might be proud of me"

"I'm sure he would be cadet"

Tears welled in Z's eyes and Commander Cruger figured he hadn't done the right thing by bringing up Danny Delgado at that time.

"Z, I'm sorry if I upset you" he said gently as Z showed the first signs of wanting to cry

"No, I'm really happy to know this, I just wish he were here to tell me himself" she began to cry and Cruger tried his best to comfort her, she had been through a lot, but she wasn't alone, she had teammates that could easily relate to what she was going through. Schuler Tate being the stand out in B squad, having lost his father in a similar manner, but he could remember his dad… Z hadn't been so fortunate. Commander Cruger secretly reasoned with himself that he would talk to Sky and see if he couldn't talk with Z and try to help her… he didn't, at the time, realize that Dr. Manx needed his help right that second.

Kat was surprised that she was alive after falling three floors, she was laying flat of her back in so much pain she could barely keep still, but she knew that movement could cause permanent damage to her spinal cord, and leave her paralyzed. Her terror built as she realized that Commander Cruger and the rangers had no way of knowing that there was anything wrong with her. She felt a new wave of panic strike her and she just wanted to wake up in her bed and realize it was all just a bad dream, but that would never happen, she knew she wasn't dreaming… no matter how much she wanted to be dreaming, she wasn't.

"Doggie" she whispered then closed her eyes and remembered him, her focus was on him and he began to feel something was amiss, but what he couldn't tell. He had no idea that his best friend stood a good chance of ending up paralyzed.

_To Be Continued…

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A/n: I know that Z would be happy to hear that her father would be proud of her, I'd like to hear that myself, I lost my dad when I was eight months old! So I know what Z and Sky would go through, but he knew his dad, I never did get that chance.

Pls. leave a review and note that all flames will be redirected at the stranger that caused Kat to get hurt


	2. Chapter 2

Kira Ford walked off stage that evening with a smile on her face… the crowd had loved her, she had no idea that she and her teammates would end up saving a strange woman's life after a time hole sent them years into the future.

It had been nearly an hour since Kat's fateful fall from a third story landing to hit a concrete floor. Her back was killing her and she had lost feeling in her legs, it was all bad signs for the female lab technician the lack of feeling from her waist down meant that there was either swelling in her spine or all out nerve damage, either way she was paralyzed, whether temporarily or permanently was yet to be seen. She activated her tracking device in hopes that it would let Cruger know something was wrong with her.

Hayley had just closed the café and the Dino thunder rangers were getting ready to disperse for the night when a porthole opened and sucked them into the year two thousand twenty.

"Dr. O, where are we?" Conner asked

"I have no idea" he replied "but I think it would be safe if we morphed" he then looked back and gave a frustrated groan when his eyes landed on Hayley, she had been transported there as well. They morphed anyway.

"Guys, fan out and search the area… maybe we can find some clue as to where we are… Hayley, stay with me"

"Okay" Hayley shrugged, who was she to argue with him when he was that upset.

Trent headed to the stair well with the Drago-dagger drawn ready to fight if necessary, but quickly found that the thing that was actually needed was an ambulance.

"Oh, no" he whispered and ran to the strange woman's side and putting the Drago-dagger away as he ran.

Kat was glad to see a ranger, even if it wasn't an SPD cadet, at least he could get her help.

"Dr. Oliver, I just found an injured woman in the stairwell, I'd say she fell from one of the landings.

"Okay Trent, try to asses the injuries I'll try and get some help." Tommy replied

"Okay" Trent cut communication with Tommy and went to try his best to help Kat Manx

"Ma'am, what happened" he asked as he knelt by her side

"I think I fell, I don't remember"

After some general introductions Trent was prepared to wait for help but he wouldn't have long to wait, the SPD rangers arrived only minutes after he did, civilian lasers drawn, ready to attack anyone who might pose a threat to Kat.

"Whoa!" Trent put his hands up in surrender "I just found her on the floor" he said "I did what I could, she fell from one of the landings, and I think she hurt her back"

"Oh no" Bridge whispered "We need to tell Commander Cruger that we need an ambulance"

"Right" Jack said

Kat saw her friends gather around her each face was filled with concern, Sky did well to hide his worry but didn't do very good at it.

Kat knew that there was a chance she would be paralyzed for the rest of her life, she had a lot of life yet to live and to have to live that time in a wheelchair wasn't appealing to her at all. She felt Z's hands holding her neck straight, gently, her pain was still horrible, but she was dealing with it for the moment, but it soon got the better of her again. She winced with the pain from her back.

"Kat, I'm sorry you got hurt so bad" Z said

"She fell three floors, she's lucky to be alive" Bridge said as Cruger walked in along with the other Dino thunder rangers

"Rangers, what happened?" he asked

"Kat fell from the third floor landing, and injured her back, sir" Z said from where she knelt

Paramedics were informed that a back board and neck brace were required and such was provided. Kat would be taken to a nearby hospital, SPD Earth Station was not equipped to handle spinal injuries. Both teams of rangers went to the Mobile command and gathered in the B-squad lounge... introductions among them went without a problem and they began to get to know one another

"Guys, I'm worried about Kat" Sky said

"You aren't the only one" Tommy said from a corner of the room "and we don't really even know her"

"Yeah" Kira said "I'm really sorry she got hurt so badly" Kira felt Trent's hand on her shoulder

"We all are" he hugged her near "I just wish there was something we could do to stop this from happening'

"There isn't, but don't you worry about Kat, she's tough I'm sure she'll be okay" Commander Cruger said from the doorway.

"I hope your right" Syd said

"Yeah, I do too" Z added "I mean, I hope she can walk after this… think about it, without the ability to walk… she would be miserable… who wouldn't be?"

"You have a good point Z" Jack said, "she would be unhappy because she would lose her independence"

"I think it might eat away at her self-esteem to be unable to do some of the things that she normally does" Trent said

"I agree, it would" Hayley said "because, I can only assume that, her independence means a lot to her… I know it does to me"

"It does" Sky said "She is almost always in her lab"

"That might not have been safe" Tommy said

"Kat's lab is one of the safest places in this base, it is connected directly to the command center and if there is an emergency she can call for me with the push of a button" Commander Cruger said.

Then Cruger left to check for word on Kat's condition

"Commander Cruger, I'm not going to deny the fact that her case is not good" the doctor said sadly "her spine is swollen horribly, and we cannot tell if there was any nerve damage, we won't be able to tell until the swelling goes down."

"Okay, I'm just glad she's alive" Cruger said sadly… "if she is unable to walk the cadets and I will help her as much as we can."

"I'm sure she will greatly appreciate that… we will keep her hear until we know if her paralysis is due to swelling or nerve damage, and we can pray that it is only the swelling, because that leaves her a good chance of a full recovery"

Meanwhile, Sky stood silently in Kat's lab worrying about her, he felt guilty because her injuries could have been prevented if someone had gone with her to pick up the computer parts… she hadn't even managed to get them because she didn't have them when she was found. He sits down in her chair and clasps his hands in silent prayer.

Kira got to the door to Kat's lab, but stopped silently when she saw Sky sitting there, head bowed, eyes closed… she figured he was doing the only thing they could do for Kat then, praying for her to recover.

She looked up and asked "Why do I feel so bad about Kat Manx when, frankly, I don't know her?" she paused "Is it because I wish I knew her or is it because I know she's a strong woman, kind of like me, who hates having to rely on others to do what I normally could"

"Kira?" Tommy called

"Yes" she replied

"Are you okay?"

"Yes Dr. Oliver" Kira replied halfheartedly "I just feel so bad about Dr. Manx… she got hurt bad… I just wish there was something I could do to undo what has been done"

"I know, you aren't the only one" Tommy placed a hand on Kira's shoulder "hopefully she's as strong as Commander Cruger said she was and will recover"

"We can always pray"

"You're right, we can... that could be the biggest help"

"That and the fact that I volunteered to try and help with the computers here until she can work, or until we leave, whichever comes first." Hayley said from nearby

"We can also help them fight evil" Kira smiled

"Yeah, we'll do what we can" Tommy agreed

Kira slipped away while Tommy and Hayley were talking and met Trent in the back courtyard.

"Trent, you know we can't keep our relationship a secret forever" she said

"I know, that's why I wanted to talk to you"

_To Be Continued…

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Pls. Leave a review and note that all flames will be redirected at the stranger that caused Kat's injuries or used to heat cocoa whichever I chose.


	3. Chapter 3

"I think its about time we told them how we felt about each other its been a big secret long enough" Trent said as he hugged Kira close

"Your right, Dr. Oliver and the team really deserve to know about us" Kira smiled and secretly wondered how hard it would be to admit that they were a couple, an "item" if you will.

Kat reflected silently as she lay waiting to hear if there was a chance that she could get the use of her legs back. For her, this was a devastating injury. Then she heard a knock on the door and had to smile when she heard Bridge talking in his usual goofy way to Z and Syd. Then all three turned their attention to her.

"Hi Kat" Syd said

"How are you feeling?"

"I've been worse" Kat smiled, she had been a heck of a lot worse, she had nearly died once, but that was before the rangers were born.

"Any word on the nature of your injury?" Syd asked

"Nothing yet, they can't tell yet" Kat sighed sadly

"Oh, I hope it's good news" Bridge said

"Me too" Kat replied sadly

"Excuse me" the doctor said "may I ask all three of you to step out for a moment, I need to talk with Dr. Manx, alone"

Syd read that as meaning that he had bad news for Kat, but that was just for privacy purposes, they left the room and the attending neurologist smiled as he approached Dr. Manx

"I have good news" he said "the only thing keeping you from having feeling in your lower body is swelling, and as soon as that finishes going down and the bruising goes away there should be nothing standing in the way of you walking again." He paused "we will keep you here a few more days then transfer you to the SPD infirmary where you will go through physical therapy otherwise, you will end up, essentially, paralyzed"

"Okay, at least I'll be able to walk again"

"This will be a long process, Dr. Manx, I know, I've seen those like you suffer quite a few frustrations before finding success"

"I understand" she smiled, and he stepped out and allowed the cadets to return

"So what did he have to say?" Z asked

"He said that the only reason I can't walk right now is because of swelling and some bruising of my spine, and he expects a full recovery"

"That's great" Z said

"I'll tell Commander Cruger" Syd said

"No, I want to give him this bit of news myself" Kat said

"Then I'll ask him to come down here, so you can tell him in person" Syd said

Kat was about to stop her when she left the room, pulling her morpher as she left.

"Great" Kat muttered "I didn't want to talk to him just yet"

"Why?" Z asked

"I haven't really figured out how to tell him yet" Kat replied

"Oh" Bridge said "I'll try and stop her"

"Don't worry about it I'll figure out what to say" Kat sighed "I know the commander, I'm pretty sure I know what to say to him about this"

Syd walked back in and announced that he'd be there in a bit… Kat wasn't sure if she had made the right chose in not letting Bridge go and stop Sydney when he offered to.

A few minutes later the rangers left and Commander Cruger arrived to find little change in her condition… albeit, she was actually rather happy, and she wasn't in any visible pain.

"Kat, I heard you had some news, what is it?" he asked gently

_To Be Continued…

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Pls. leave a review and note that all flames will be redirected at the creep that caused her to get hurt or used to heat cocoa, which ever I chose.


	4. Chapter 4

"Well, Doggie, they say I'll walk again"

Commander Cruger smiled at those words, Kat would make a full recovery.

"I'm glad to hear that" he knew that she would be okay and she would fight as long as it took for her to get back on her feet. "I have to say that it scared me when I heard what happened to you…"

"You aren't the only one it scared" Kat sighed "I really thought I would be paralyzed for the rest of my life"

Commander Cruger and Kat both felt relieved by the fact that she could recover completely… but it was going to be a long hard road ahead of her, and they both knew that the fact that Grumm was still out in the galaxy put a fire under their efforts to get her to a full recovery. Cruger started to leave but Kat got his attention.

"Doggie, it's going to be a long time before I'll be one hundred percent"

"I know Kat, and until then, you have the support of all of Earth Station… we couldn't be happier that you survived this and are willing to help you in any way we can"

"Thank you sir" she felt relieved that they were willing to wait to allow her all the recovery time necessary, it wasn't her fault she got hurt.

After Cruger left Kat began to reflect on all the time she had spent with Commander Cruger and remembered when they were working with the ranger parents. Her computer had began to act up as she fried another component and it started to blow,Wes Collins had been the one to save her by grabbing her from her chair and pushing her out of the way and placing his own body between her and the blast. She had been really grateful to Wes for that, she would have been severely injured if not killed if it hadn't been for him. If Wes saw her at that point he would have had a fit, she wasn't in a good way, a neck brace, not befitting of such a woman, but it wasn't her fault.

"Sky, you said it was impossible for her to have just fallen" Z said as they reinvestigated the seen "what did you mean?"

"Those railings, the top one is up to the middle of her shoulder blade, it takes a push to go over a bar that high" Sky pointed out

"Good point" Bridge pointed out and pulled his glove off and read the seen "she was chased by someone… and they pushed her… that's how she ended up there, she was there for over an hour and a half"

"Oh my gosh, she was here that long?" Syd said in horror

"Yes, she was unconscious for about half an hour" Bridge sighed

"If only I had been a little more insistent on escorting her, maybe she wouldn't be in that hospital bed now" Sky said

"Stop that garbage right now, Sky!" Z said in anger "You don't know that your going with her could have prevented this… no one does. So quit blaming yourself… we all feel guilty about what happened to Kat, but the best thing we can do for her now is support her through her recovery because she will recover!"

Sky was speechless, Kat would be fine she would get the chance to recover completely. He sighed happily and to himself that he would try and help her as best he could.

"She's going to be okay?"

"Yes Sky… the doctor said the paralysis was due to bruising and swelling as soon as the swelling goes away she should regain feeling, and when the bruising heals she can start physical therapy to get back on her feet" Syd said

"Whew, at least she'll be okay" Jack said

The rangers returned to the command center.

"How long do they think it'll take for her to recover?" Jack asked

"They don't know… it depends on her" Syd said

They stopped at the center console.

"Okay, who's going to tell Cruger that Kat was pushed off that landing?" Sky asked

"She was what?" Tommy asked from behind them… sounding about like Cruger would.

_To Be Continued…_

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_pls. leave a review and note that all flames will be redirected at either the stranger that hurt Kat or used to heat cocoa whichever I chose 


	5. Chapter 5

ps. forgive me for any ooc-ness in this chappie in advance, I am not sure how Kat would react in such a situation(sp?)

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The day finally came for Dr. Katherine Manx to go back to the SPD base for further treatment, she would finally get the neck brace off! That in itself was a reason for her to celebrate. She arrived at the base to fine that another team of power rangers had taken up temporary residence there until they could find a way home, she didn't mind them, but she was concerned that their tech expert was trying to do the job of lab technician. She was doing pretty good, as good as could have been expected for someone from two thousand five.

She would start physical therapy in a few more days, but she was allowed some freedom, but going back to work was out of the question, but try convincing one, very bored, very stubborn, felina not to do her job… it isn't easy (actually its down right impossible).

That evening, Hayley had left the laboratory after finishing a project and Kat decided to do some investigation of her own. When Commander Cruger went to check with Hayley on her progress on the latest project, he saw that Kat had taken it upon herself to add her two cents to the project.

"Katherine…" he said in a frustrated whisper "I thought I told you myself that this was taken care of, Sophie, Boom, and Hayley have been working just fine"

Kat was surprised to hear Cruger use her full name, he typically called her Kat like everyone else did.

"Doggie, I'm fine" Kat insisted

"You've been telling me that since you got back" Commander Cruger said then told her he didn't want to see her in there again until she was given medical release to go back to work

Kat sighed jadedly, saved what she had done and left again.

Cruger watched her for a moment and decided that the only way to keep Kat out of her lab was to lock her out, by changing the pass code and, temporarily, removing her from the voice recognition for the areas that were off limits to her.

Physical therapy for her went uneventfully, for the most part, she was getting no where… barely able to feel her legs, much less use them yet, but it was coming.

Kat went to her lab the next day to find her pass code didn't work, she did an id scan, that didn't work either, a jaded sigh left her to last resort, vocal override. She attempted that, nothing.

"Kat, you should just rest, you went through a lot" Hayley said and knelt to her new friend as she sat the electric wheelchair she had been given. "Don't worry, everything is fine"

Commander Cruger knew that if he hadn't changed the codes Kat would have continued working against her doctor's orders.

Finally after about three weeks she was given release to go back to her job and Cruger gave her the new codes and gave her access to her lab again.

"Finally" she muttered "I can get back to my job"

Sophie knew that Kat had wanted to work for a while, but didn't think that it was a good idea to allow her to get back to work yet, but it seemed to do wonders for Kat.

Within the next month Kat regained the ability to stand with assistance of: Jack, Sky, Tommy or Commander Cruger… it was typically Sky because he was still blaming himself for what happened to her to begin with. She could also stand if she could hold onto something, but only for a few moments then she had to sit back down, her legs were weak. That day Tommy was watching the session to give help where it was necessary, he noted that Kat was ready to push forward, but the therapist was being more of a hindrance than a help. After a few minutes Kat pointed out that she wanted to try and take a couple of steps, but the therapist thought it wasn't a good idea, he just didn't say anything. Tommy stepped forward to spot for Kat and she managed three steps before nearly falling down.

"That is just what I thought would happen"

Tommy lifted her easily and placed her back in the wheelchair.

"I would like to know what that was supposed to mean" Tommy asked after standing up fully again.

"I mean she clearly wasn't ready" the therapist said

"It's a start, its more than she could do when we got here a little while ago" Tommy replied angrily

"He does have a point" Kat said then thought for a second "if I didn't know any better I'd say you didn't want me to recover"

"That's just what I was thinking" Tommy agreed angrily "Believe me, Commander Cruger will hear of this"

"You can tell him all you want, I'm not sure he'll believe you" the therapist said

"Oh but you can bet your life he'll believe me" Kat said

The therapist bit his tongue knowing perfectly well that if Kat Manx reported him, he'd lose his job.

Speaking of Cruger, he still didn't know that her fall hadn't been more than an unfortunate mishap, but Tommy planned on telling him as soon as he could.

"Commander Cruger" he said

"Tommy, IguessI haven't informed you yet, but you may refer to me as 'Doggie'" Commander Cruger walked up to Tommy "I believe you have something to tell me"

"I found out that what happened to Kat that day wasn't an accident"…

_To Be Continued…_

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_pls. leave a review and note that all flames will be redirected at the guy who caused Kat to get hurt or used to heat cocoa whichever I chose 


	6. Chapter 6

"What?" Commander Cruger demanded

"Kat was injured on purpose" Tommy replied, "I believe the guy that hurt her intended to kill her, he just sorely underestimated what she could live through"

Cruger didn't want to believe that someone had wanted his best friend dead, but it appeared as if that were true.

"I also believe her therapist might have something to do with the guy wanting to eliminate Kat, he doesn't seem to want to see her recover, she and I both feel that way"

"I'll talk to Kat about this, it seems like I have to get more involved in Kat's recovery, or it may not happen"

Commander Cruger went to Kat's lab and Tommy went to spar with Jack Landers and teach him some of the martial arts that he knew.

"Kat may I speak with you?" Commander Cruger asked

"Sure, what about?"

"Your physical therapy, how is it going?"

"It is going good" she was happy, but her expression changed abruptly as she brought up the way that the therapist had made her feel, Commander Cruger couldn't believe what he was hearing, he heard it from her and Tommy, that could only mean one thing, the allegations were true.

"I'll do some investigating about your therapist, and tell you what I find out," he said

"Okay, thank you Doggie"

"No problem, Kat"

Commander Cruger went into the command center and went to work checking her therapist's background and found out that his name didn't exist on the database… then he did some figuring and realized that the guy was using an assumed name. He figured out the guy's real name and found that the guy had upstanding warrants on KO-35 and Mirinoi along with a few other places in the galaxy.

He gave a low growl as he read what the guy was wanted for.

"It is time for me to investigate that guy personally…" he said and then pressed the intercom button. "Cadet Carson, report to the command center immediately" he said then released the button and waited.

Bridge came into the command center a few moment's later.

"Cadet Carson, when you investigated the scene of Kat's injury, could you tell who it was that caused her injury?"

"It wasn't anyone I know, sir" Bridge paused for a second "he did look a _lot_ like her therapist… but not exactly like him"

"Do you think it could have been him?"

"No, but someone related to him, sir"

Then the commander found that the therapist did have a brother; that sibling might have been the one that injured Kat, he wasn't sure so he looked at the brother's record and he also had upstanding warrants in the same locations as his brother, and both were last known to be on Earth.

"I think I know who hurt Kat" he said "but the question is, why?"

"I don't know, sir" Bridge said

"You are dismissed, Cadet"

Bridge saluted and left quietly, he wondered if this guy's brother might have hurt Kat, then he saw the therapist and read the guy's aura, and didn't like what he saw. This guy had a malicious aura if he had ever seen one, and Bridge figured that the guy might have had a hand in causing Kat to get hurt to begin with, even if he didn't push her over that third floor banister.

Bridge entered the lounge shaking his head; he couldn't believe that the therapist might have had something to do with Kat's injury. He turned around and left the lounge and followed the guy to his temporary quarters and over heard him talking on the phone with is brother.

"She's recovering too fast" the therapist said. "We were hoping to have at least started on our plan before she started recovering… we have to stunt the process… okay, I'll do what I can, but I've constantly got a ranger breathing down my neck, not to mention she's as stubborn as Doggie Cruger, I hate to say it, but I think we underestimated her"

After he finished the phone call he started out and nearly ran into Bridge Carson.

_To Be Continued...

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pls. leave a review and note that all flames will be redirected at the unpredicatable(sp?) Houston weather 


	7. Chapter 7

This chapter is for **Garnetred** who has reviewed just about every chapter of this story, thanks for your support

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The therapist looked Bridge up and down then walked away. There was no way Bridge could have figured out that he and his brother had formed alliances with Gruumm and were trying to get rid of Kat so that they could cripple the rangers by taking out the one person who really could keep their zords running properly.

Bridge was surprised by the guy's attitude as he left; it was obvious this guy planned on hurting Kat again, or trying to slow down her progress somehow. Bridge had no idea what this guy could do to hold Kat back, but he didn't take any chances he went back to the command center and reported what he had heard to Commander Cruger.

"Well, Bridge, I'm glad you brought this to my attention, I'll have to find new therapist for her, this guy poses to much of a threat to her well being" Commander Cruger said. Then turned back to the computer "I know of someone within SPD that would be more than happy to help Kat recover from her injury, I will contact him, I'm sure he'll come immediately"

"Okay, what are we going to do about her current therapist?"

"Since you heard him talking to some one about planning what happened to Kat he will be arrested in connection with the case… I will take care of that myself"

Bridge left for the lounge and Commander Cruger made contact with Nicolas, a worker from the Keovian academy who was a renowned physical therapist.

"Commander Cruger, is everything okay on Earth?" Nicolas asked

"That all depends on your definition of 'Okay'" Commander Cruger replied "Our head of Research and Development, Dr. Kat Manx suffered a back injury, she has a therapist, but we suspect that he was involved in the events that caused her injury… I was wondering if you would come and take over his job"

"Sure, Doggie, I'll be there as soon as I can" Nicolas said, "you are going to arrest this therapist"

"Yes, Nicolas, it is too big of a risk to let him go free, but I still have to track down his brother, we believe his brother was the one that actually hurt her to begin with"

"But what would send them after Kat Manx I wonder?" Nicolas said

"I'm not sure, Nicolas, I just know they did, and that they won't get away with it"

Neither of them realized it was Gruumm who had gotten the idea of murdering Doctor Katherine Manx to cripple SPD and make Earth's defeat on step closer to happening, he had sorely underestimated SPD and Kat Manx.

Boom watched in relief as Kat came back into her lab, it was a miracle that she was even alive much less working and healing. He hugged her and she returned it, she knew how big a scare she had given him, he looked up to her because over the last five years she had all but raised him. She and Commander Cruger had given him a chance that few would have; he was as clumsy as they come but he was good at gadget testing because he put any object through its paces and if it survived it was a good product.

"Its good to see you again Kat" he said after leaving the embrace, "I know you don't like that kind of stuff, but I-I'm just so happy to… to see you"

"I know, Boom, its okay" she smiled "I'm just happy to be here at all"

They got to work silently and Boom felt a lot more at ease just to have Kat back in the lab, not that he didn't like working with Hayley, but it just wasn't the same as working with Kat. He looked over at Kat as she worked and realized she had an idea of something she wanted to do he didn't ask questions, he didn't have to, Hayley asked for him.

"Kat, do you have something on your mind?" she asked

"Its just Commander Cruger's birthday is coming up next month and I was wondering if it was possible for me to be walking by then" Kat replied

"With the progress you're making I'd say that there is a good chance of it, what are you thinking of?"

"I was thinking I could surprise him by walking into the party that is being planned for him, on my own"

Hayley smiled warmly "I don't see why you couldn't"

The next day, Kat's therapist was in a holding cell and Nicolas had arrived from KO-35 to start working with Kat

"Do you have a goal for yourself?" he asked sitting near Kat

"I was hoping to be back on my feet by Commander Cruger's birthday" she replied

"A respectable goal, what if I told you that it would happen, of course, you wouldn't be able to walk for too long, but you would be able to walk into the party, which I'm sure that is what you want, is just to surprise him by walking into the party" Nicolas smiled. "If that is our goal is on to have you on your feet by Cruger's birthday we need to get to work, now don't we" he paused as Trent Fernandez walked in to supervise.

"I take it he is to watch today?" Nicolas said

"Yes" Kat said making eye contact with Trent "but this is his first time" she smiled gently at Trent who returned it happily. This session held quite a bit of progress for Kat and Nicolas felt good about her recovery.

Kat was working in her lab after the session when Trent walked in

"Trent, do you need anything?" Kat asked gently

"No, Dr. Manx, I just haven't drawn in a while and I thought I'd just do a quick sketch of you, don't worry, just keep working I prefer to watch someone work and do sketches from that"

She smiled "That's fine, Trent, and you can call me Kat if you like"

Trent took a seat where he saw her at an angle that really focused on her face and eyes as she worked on the security links. He immediately turned to a clean page in his new sketchbook and began to work on drawing the felina scientist sitting in front of her computer. Her posture was nearly perfect and he expression was focused on her work and it seemed that little could startle her or throw her concentration; not even her over eager assistant, Boom, could mess with her calm disposition.

The only thing about the sketch that was getting Trent were her eyes, getting the expression just right was surprisingly difficult, but he got it well within a few moments and took a long look at it before deeming it complete by signing the bottom right hand corner.

"I'm finished" he sighed

"May I see it?" she asked

"Sure" he took the sketch book over and handed it too her and her smile showed her approval "you really are good, Trent"

"Thank you, I do my best, art has always been my true love, but my dad doesn't really support my art like I would like him to"

"He'll come around" Kat said perceptively; her smile could almost be described as motherly, he didn't know that she did have a daughter who was a singer, but he would learn later on.

He spent that evening doing sketches of different people in the base, including Commander Cruger and the B squad cadets, most were candied, meaning simply he just pulled up a chair and started drawing, and they didn't know unless they either looked or he brought it to their attention.

"May I look through your sketches, Trent?" Jack asked

"Sure, go ahead" Trent replied

Sydney walked up to Trent as he explained each sketch to Jack.

"Are you left handed?" she asked

"Yes" Trent replied, "so is Kira"

Jack got to the sketch of Kat and stopped

"Whoa, there is a lot of emotion in this sketch" he said, "you're really good at this"

"Thank you" Trent replied, "I've always loved to draw… if you like, I'll do a sketch of you…"

"Why don't you do one of Z?" Jack said

"Sure, if she doesn't mind" Trent replied

"No I don't," she replied as she read her latest revision of the SPD Handbook, she needed to be up to date on the regulations. Jack gave Trent his sketchbook back and Trent started to sketch an image of her as she read, focus in her eyes wasn't near as hard as the level he put into Kat's appearance… she hadn't seen the completed picture, but he was willing to be it would floor her. He had added more detail, including color from colored pencils he'd found and it had become a true work of art.

After he finished he called Kira to meet him in the back courtyard again.

"Trent, we can't keep doing this, they have to know" Kira said

"I know, but I haven't figured out how we're going to tell them" Trent hugged Kira near, not knowing that Ethan was nearby watching them.

"Whoa, what… Trent and Kira are seeing each other… its about time!" Ethan said quietly "Man, this is too cool!"

He snapped a picture as Trent kissed Kira's lips

"Man I could totally hold this over their heads!"

"No you can't" Sky said and took Ethan's digital camera and deleted the picture off of it "You have to respect your teammates' privacy"

"Aw, man!" Ethan groaned

"Complain all you want, but I'm not going to let you humiliate them, or blow their secret until they want it known, then they will tell the team" Sky said and walked away, neglecting to return Ethan's camera.

"Hey, wait, my camera?"

"Oh, here" Sky walked back to Ethan "I'll give you this back, only under the condition that after I do you will go back inside and not us it to spy on them any more, do you understand?

"Yes" Sky handed Ethan his camera back and they both went inside the base

Trent smiled at Kira as he held her near.

"This people are amazing aren't they?"

"Yes, they are, I just wish we could go home" Kira replied

"Me too, but I'm sure Hayley and Dr. Manx will find a way to get us home" Trent said

"I hope they do" Kira smiled weakly, trying to hid her inner fear that they would never get home.

Sydney walked down the pathway quietly, her look, surprisingly depressed as she walked, she then noticed Kira and Trent holding each other

'At least they are happy' she thought; her plans for the Commander's birthday were going south, fast! She had no idea that Kat had a plan to surprise Commander Cruger!

_To Be Continued…_

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_pls. leave a review and note that all flames will be redirected at the world news casters who have been scaring me with the "Bird Flu" epidimic! 


	8. Chapter 8

That was when Kat used her communicator to call for Sydney to come to her lab

"What is it Kat?" Syd asked as she walked into the lab quietly

"I have a plan for the commander's birthday… I was thinking that with the progress I'm making I might be able to walk into the party by myself"

"That would be amazing if you could do that I'm sure the commander would love to see you on your feet again, but how will we keep him from knowing that you are walking before the party?"

"You can leave that to me" Tommy said from the doorway "I'll handle distracting the commander by having him help me train my rangers, whom have been slaking ever since we got here and Sky and Jack will help with the therapy."

"Sounds good to me" Syd said

"But how will we keep Cruger from unraveling this plan, it has too many loose ends for my liking" Hayley said then handed them a plan cleaned up and dared them to find a flaw, which Kat immediately did.

"Well she knows Cruger best, how should we word this to him."

"I think Tommy's plan was the best, he said have Cruger train the Dino rangers it'll keep him busy, and I know how to keep him from suspecting anything" Kat's smirk told she had a plan that might require outside help.

"How will we get anyone to help us?" Syd asked

"Easy" Kat called Z in and she came up with the best plan out of the four, and the one that they would use.

The next month Kat and her therapist worked extra hard and she was able to walk enough to be able to call the plan plausible only three days before the party and she continued to make strides towards recovery. Cruger had no idea how far his friend had come, and it would be a shock to him once he saw how far she had come.

The day of his birthday arrived and the celebration wasn't too grand, but not too tiny either, just enough to disguise any underlying plans.

"I'm nervous about this" Syd said

"You're nervous?" Kat asked "Put yourself in my shoes I'm the one handing him the biggest surprise of the evening!"

"True" Syd smiled "good luck"

"Thanks" Kat smiled; as she knew he would be shocked as he was, just figuring out he had yet to see her.

"Cadet Tate, have you seen Kat?" he asked Sky

"No, sir" Sky replied "I haven't seen her at all today"

"This isn't normal, she would normally be around" Cruger said

"Commander" Syd called

"Cadet Drew, have you seen Kat?" he asked

"Yes sir, she's with me" Sydney replied as Cruger approached where Kat and Sydney waited

'Now or never' Kat thought as she watched Cruger approach and stop as he noticed something was different, very different

Tommy watched with great enthusiasm, he knew Kat was ready to walk, but was she confident enough to hold her head high and approach the Commander under her own power, that was to be seen.

Sydney asked the commander to stop short of his approach and he figured something was up, he had no idea what was truly about to occur, but as Kat stood to her feet he knew she was better, but what was about to happen would even top his thoughts.

Kat took a few hesitant strides away from her wheelchair and her confidence greatly improved as she approached him and he was floored along just about everyone else. She was walking on her own again.

_To Be Continued…

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Pls. leave a review and note that all flames will be redirected at the nearest hurricane


	9. Chapter 9

Kat stood in front of the commander and placed her hands on his chest as he looked at her in amazement, she had persevered yet again

"I'm impressed, Kat, you've managed to bounce back from what you've been through"

"What kind of person would I be if I just took this without even attempting to try and recover?" she asked as she felt him put his arms around her and allowed him to embrace her and returned it lovingly.

"I can't walk for too long, but it's better than it was"

"I'm just glad to see that you're getting better"

Everyone was touched by the fact that Kat was able to walk on her own again, they all knew that this meant a lot to Cruger and to Kat, and it was finally coming true, Kat would truly be all right.

The party ended on a high note for everyone and the rest of the evening was quiet for the rangers.

Cruger watched as Kat spoke with her therapist about what she had just accomplished… she wouldn't have to face the therapy for much longer, she will soon accomplish what some considered unachievable, she will have made a full recovery. Cruger knew that she wouldn't give up, and he wasn't willing to give up on her either.

She sat by herself after the therapist went to talk with someone who had some questions to ask him, and Cruger went to talk with his old friend.

"Kat, I have to admit something, this is the best birthday I've had since I lost Aisynia" he took a seat at the table with her

She smiled; she knew this would be a day he wouldn't forget any time soon "I figured it would be, that's why I chose today to let you know that I could walk by myself again."

He placed a hand on her arm, "You don't know happy today has made me, I had hopped that soon you would be walking, and now… now you are" his voice tried to crack despite him and give away his emotional status now being at the point of absolutely overwhelmed.

Syd tapped Z on the shoulder as Kat hugged her dearest friend near and he returned it.

"Look at them" Syd said

"Whoa, Jack… look" Z said

"I knew they were close, but not that close… Sky… Bridge look at Kat and D.C." Jack said

"It's about time they realized they cared about each other," Sky said

"Yep" Bridge agreed

"Really?" Jack asked

"Yeah, they've cared for each other for years now, they just haven't admitted it until now" Sky said

"I thought so" Syd said, "I just, thought that I was the only one who saw it"

"Believe me Syd, you weren't the only one" Sky said, "I think anyone who has contact with both of them realized that years ago!"

Syd sighed as they watched their commander with his best friend; it was a moment they would never forget.

The Dino Thunder Rangers also noticed how close Cruger and Kat were and were happy for them… then Trent looked at Kira, this would be the best time to subtlety let their teammates know they were a couple. Kira laid her head against Trent's shoulder, she was beyond exhausted, it had been a long, hard, week and she looked forward to resting. Trent responded by placing his arms around Kira so that his hands ended up overlapping each other on her waist.

Conner was shocked when he saw this little display of affection between Kira and Trent.

"Dr. O, look" Conner said

Tommy looked and sighed, there was only one woman that ever held his heart and he had to remember to try and find her when he got home.

"What's wrong, Dr. O?" Ethan asked

"I was just thinking about the girl I dated in high school" Tommy shook his head

"You dated in high school?" Conner said

"Yes, I was never a nerd, that was Billy's role, I guess I could have been called a jock, I was into martial arts and I think most of my old friends think I must have a dojo or something," Tommy laughed

"What was her name?" Conner asked

"What was whose name?" Trent asked

"Dr. O's high school girlfriend" Ethan said

"Her name was Kimberly she was a gymnast…"

"You mean Kimberly Hart, the girl that won Pan Globals a few years back, my mom went crazy over her, said she deserved to win after all she'd left behind" Kira said "Then again my mom may be bias, Kim, after all, is one of my cousins"

Kira got several surprised looks

"My mom and her dad are brother and sister!" Kira rolled her eyes, "I was supposed to see her a week after we were taken from home, but if I can't get home that isn't going to happen!"

"Don't worry, you'll get home… we already found a way" Hayley said

"Really?" Kira asked

"Really" Hayley confirmed, "the bad news is we won't remember anything that has happened"

"Okay, as long as we get home, I don't really care" Kira said "I want to see my cousin, I haven't seen her in several years and that was the thing I was looking forward to"

The SPD power rangers were all gathered along with the Dino Thunder rangers and Hayley.

"Rangers, the experiences we have had over the past several months are ones that I am sure will be treasured in our hearts…" Cruger said

"But, I'm saddened to say that you, the dino thunder rangers, won't recall that these events ever occurred,"

"Why?" Ethan whined

"Because if you did remember this it would alter the path of the future… I wish you would be able to recall these times and you're new friends, but that won't be allowed" Kat sighed and looked at Trent. He knew the look on her face meant he had to give up the sketches that he had made in the SPD base as well, but he saw that as being a good thing… then they would be able to remember him through his art.

"Kat…" he paused and pulled the sketchbook out of his bag "I want you to keep this… it has all of the sketches I made while I was here"

Kat smiled as she took the sketchbook in her hands

"I'll take good care of it, Trent" she assured him

Cruger held the sketchpad as Kat and the SPD rangers said their final good-byes to the Dino thunder rangers then sent them back to their own time to the moment right after they were brought from. They said their good-byes and went their separate ways to go home… unaware of what they had been through.

Meanwhile in 2025:

Kat was sitting in her lab looking through Trent's sketchbook and sighed as she saw the last picture… it was of her and Cruger, but this image wasn't of something that ever actually happened… It was as if he had taken the image he had of her and the image of Cruger and used that to draw them in a different pose, one that expressed their obvious love for each other. She smiled as she traced the image with her fingers… she then noticed the signature in the lower right hand corner, she had seen that signature before… Trent had become famous for his art along with the fact that he had taken over Anton Mercer Industries after his father passed away and molded it into something that was very beneficial to the whole country… The industry now funded child welfare programs and also held meetings and concerts to raise awareness of the many homeless children and family in the country and all over the world.

Kat smiled… she knew that Trent was a good artist and she now admired a piece of his work that she would treasure, just as she treasured the friend that was depicted holding her in that picture.

She decided to frame that particular image and hang it in her room along with a couple of the other images… she had been surprised by how many there were… Trent had done a lot of drawing while the Dino Thunders were in that time. Although, there was still one thing she didn't understand, why did Trent give his sketchbook to her particularly, was it because of that image, or was it because of the general content in the book, that he thought she would appreciate it more than the rangers… that she would never know.

The original therapist and his brother were arrested in connection with Kat's injuries and given long sentences in containment, Kat made a complete recovery and she and Cruger finally admitted to themselves and the rest of the base that they had feelings for each other.

All of the SPD rangers were glad that the events of the past months were coming to an end, they didn't know how long they could have lasted like that, but it was bittersweet, they missed the dino thunder rangers. They only hoped that it wouldn't be the last time they got to see them, but as the saying goes 'only time can tell what the future will bring'.

**The End **

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**Pls. leave a review and note that all flames will be redirected at the nearest hurricane 


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